The latest earnings report from Kanzhun Ltd. (BZ.US) is filled with numbers and commentary, mostly pointing to a dismal second quarter but hopes for a swift rebound if and when China moves past the battle to control its latest Covid outbreaks. But the one thing missing, the proverbial “elephant in the room,” is any updates on the nearly yearlong government ban that has prevented China’s leading online recruitment services provider from registering new users.
Kanzhun was one of three companies slapped with new user registration bans a year ago, alongside trucking app operator Full Truck Alliance (YMM.US) and the Uber-like DiDi Global (DIDIY.US). The bans kicked off a year of turbulence for most U.S.-listed Chinese internet stocks, wiping out billions of dollars in market value as investors fretted about whether those companies might be forced to delist from Wall Street.
At the heart of the matter was data security concerns from Beijing, since all three companies operate apps with potentially sensitive data on millions of users around China. The new user registration bans were meant to be temporary while China’s internet regulator conducted data security reviews on the companies. Reflecting the belief that its continued U.S. listing would be considered too risky by the regulator, DiDi officially delisted from the New York Stock Exchange last month and now trades only over-the-counter.